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Silver Grove Superintendent Named Principal at Newport School

Less than two days after a vote that guaranteed the closure of Silver Grove Independent Schools, that district's superintendent was named principal at Newport Intermedia School, part of Newport Independent Schools.

Dennis Maines left Silver Grove after the Campbell County Board of Education approved a merger that will place Silver Grove students in that larger district, a news release said.

Two weeks ago, while the Silver Grove board of education considered conditions of a merger, Maines stated that he was unsure where he would work in the fall, expressing the same concern for his fellow faculty at Silver Grove, a small district of 215 students.

"I have always been up for a new challenge, and I'm honored and excited to be the new principal at Newport Intermediate School," Maines said in an announcement. "What I have learned over my years in education is that with the right attitude, the right collaboration and the right staff members, challenges become opportunities. We have a lot of opportunities in Newport and can achieve much success by working together and helping our students reach for and achieve their dreams."

He replaces Bob Seiter at Newport Intermediate. Seiter stepped down from the position, a news release said.

Newport Superintendent Kelly Middleton praised the hire.

"It is not every day that you find someone with Dennis's depth and breadth of experience as an educator, someone who has worked from a classified position to the superintendent's office," said Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Kelly Middleton. "Dennis is a tremendous addition to our school system and I am confident he will be an outstanding leader of Newport Intermediate School."

Maines is a native of Dayton and graduated from Dayton High School where he worked as a custodian for four years while a student.

He enrolled in night school at Northern Kentucky University and continued to work for the Dayton Independent School District as the monitor of the in-school suspension program at Lincoln Elementary and as a worker in the district's maintenance department.

After graduating from NKU, Maines worked at Covington Independent Public Schools, first as a teacher at Sixth District Elementary School, then as an assistant principal at Two Rivers Middle School, and ultimately as principal at Holmes High School.

Maines served as principal of Bracken County High School prior to becoming Silver Grove superintendent. He received his superintendent certification through the University of Kentucky.

"I worked on just about every rung on the ladder of education," Maines said, "and I truly believe that has contributed to my overall knowledge of how schools work."

A news release said that Maines will start in his new role on Wednesday.